Pictures of Slow Loris

4 Fun Facts About the Slow Loris

I don't know about you, but watching that slow loris with his umbrella has left me with these tiny creatures on the brain! These two twinsies — born last year at Moody Gardens (a nature reserve in Galveston, TX) — look anything but moody with those big eyes and curious faces. It's time to learn more about these primates and see more pictures in the process when you start this slideshow.

The Pygmy Slow Loris lives in the same area — Vietnam, Laos, and parts of Cambodia — as the Slow Loris but, as the name implies, is much smaller. While Slow Lorises are usually up to 4.5 pounds, Pygmy Slow Lorises rarely top even one pound!

Om nom nom. These primates eat fruits, flowers, slugs, snails, and other prey found at night near trees. Pygmy Slow Lorises often hang upside-down from branches! This isn't just for fun, dangling by their feet means they can use both hands to eat.

Lorises have very, very strong fingers and toes and can get a grip for a very long time. When moving, they use this grip to move hand-over-hand and can do so just as easily above a branch as they can below. While powerful, this deliberate motion is almost like crawling, hence the "slow" part of their name.

Their big eyes make these creatures very recognizable and, sadly, also very rare. They continue to be hunted for those very eyes, prized for traditional medical treatments in the East. When sleeping, they roll up into a ball with their heads between their legs to not stand out.